


Coping Mechanism(s)

by Settiai



Category: Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Crystal Palace (Web Series)
Genre: Community: femslashex, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/F, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, One Shot, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:08:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27460954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Settiai/pseuds/Settiai
Summary: Everyone copes in different ways.
Relationships: Alexandra Elise O'Neill/Hanako Hayashi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8
Collections: Femslash Exchange 2020





	Coping Mechanism(s)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [walkthegale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/walkthegale/gifts).



Hanako closed her eyes so that she didn't see the shadows pooling in the corners of the room, just out of reach of the lamplight that filled the building. They were simply shadows, not _shadows_ , but the sight of them was still enough to send her heart racing sometimes.

And if her heart was going to be racing tonight, she'd much rather it be for more pleasant reasons than panic and half-remembered nightmares.

"Is everything all right?" Alexandra asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

Hana forced her attention back to the present, opening her eyes long enough to give Alexandra what she hoped was a sufficiently cocky-looking wink. "Never better," she said. "Did you find the rope you were looking for?"

The look that Alexandra shot her made it clear that Hana hadn't quite pulled off the devil-may-care attitude that she'd intended, but she didn't call her on it. She knew better than that. She simply held up a small spool of rope that looked surprisingly soft and delicate.

Hana couldn't help but make a face. "Are you certain it will stand up to the job?" she asked. "It looks like it wouldn't take much at all to break it."

"It's stronger than it looks," Alexandra said, her mouth curling upwards into a smile that Hana couldn't quite translate even after all this time. "Don't you trust me?"

The word was out of Hana's mouth before she even had time to think about. "Always."

She felt her face flush ever so slightly at the look that Alexandra shot her at that, but she didn't say anything. Shadows moved along the walls once more, and she simply closed her eyes again.

There was a huff of amused laughter coming from Alexandra's direction, and Hana shifted slightly. Then the mattress under her dipped to the side, as if someone else was sitting on it as well, and she felt hands on her wrists. The palms of them were rougher than a proper lady's should be, clearly used to hard work, but there was a hint of softness as well.

Hana would have known who they belonged to in an instant, even in pitch dark.

"Don't struggle," Alexandra said, her voice barely above a whisper as she leaned in closer to Hana. The words were clearly for her ears and only hers.

Hana smiled. "Would I do something like that?"

Alexandra snorted, a thoroughly unladylike sound, and then Hana felt cloth against her skin. The rope was just as soft and delicate as it had looked, brushing lightly against her wrists like a caress. But Alexandra hadn't lied – it was strong too. Silk. It had to be made of silk, and high quality silk at that.

Hair brushed against her face as a pair of lips pressed a kiss against her forehead. Then Alexandra's hands moved to her other hand, lightly tying rope around them as well.

"You're beautiful like this," Alexandra said casually, as if she was speaking about the weather or something else equally inconsequential. "Spread out like a piece of art."

Hana started to open her eyes, just for a moment, but a hand covered them before she could see a thing.

"Oh no," Alexandra said lightly, just a tiny hint of shadow in her voice, "I think you should keep your eyes closed tonight." There was a short pause, and Hana felt the hand pull away from her face. "Can you do that on your own, or do I need to find a blindfold?"

Hana let out a somewhat theatrical sigh, but she obediently kept her eyes closed. "You know me," she said. "Following orders is my specialty."

Alexandra let out a peal of laughter at that. "That's one word for it," she agreed. "Not the one I'd use, but still. I think I'd rather have a promise."

It was Hana's turn to let out a snort of laughter, one that would probably have her parents staring at her in horror if they'd heard it. Then again, her parents would probably be horrified by most of what Hana was doing just then, and an unladylike bit of laughter was probably close to the bottom of the list.

"Fine," she agreed, trying her best to convey the eyeroll she'd like to be doing through her tone of voice. "I promise that I'll keep my eyes closed."

Hana could almost hear the smile in Alexandra's voice when she said: "Good."

Alexandra's hand slid down Hana's bare chest to play with her breasts for a moment, her touch so light that it was barely there. If it wasn't for the fact that her eyes were tightly closed and her other senses somewhat more heightened because of it, Hana might not have even felt it.

She supposed that keeping her eyes closed had its good points.

"Be good," Alexandra said softly, leaning down to nip at Hana's ear with her teeth. One of her hands reached up to run her fingers through Hana's hair, pulling at it just a bit too much to be innocent. "I'm not through yet."

The bed shifted again, and for a long moment Hana was left along in the dark. She could hear footsteps moving around her, the creak of floorboards as Alexandra presumably made her way around the room, but the other woman didn't say a word or make any sound herself.

And then, without warning, the darkness behind her closed eyes suddenly became a bit more profound.

Hana stiffened immediately, her eyes almost shooting open out of habit, but she forced them to stay closed at the last second. "Alexandra?"

There wasn't a reply, not at first. The sound of footsteps had stopped, and for just a moment Hana couldn't help but be transported back in time two years to a horrifying night that still haunted her dreams sometimes. "Alexandra?" she repeated, her voice a bit sharper. "If you don't say something right now, I swear that I will—"

Her threat was cut off by a pair of lips pressing against hers like a lifeline, burning as hot as fire against her skin. Hana couldn't help but sink into the sensation, as sudden as it was, kissing back more out of desperation than anything else. She felt light pressure against both sides of her hips as someone straddled her, skin and hair rubbing against skin and hair in a way that was surprisingly comforting in the dark.

When the kiss eventually broke, Hana's lips felt cold at the loss.

"I turned out the lights," Alexandra said quietly, her voice coming from mere inches away from Hana's face. "As much as I'd like to enjoy the view, the shadows were starting to move a bit too much for my comfort."

Hana stilled, trying to keep her breathing from speeding up. "They're just shadows," she said. "We both know that."

A hand reached out to play with her hair again, tugging slightly as Hana's head was pulled up a bit. Presumably so Alexandra could see her more clearly in the dim light of the room. "Are they ever just shadows?" Alexandra asked lightly. "Even after all this time?"

"They could be," Hana said quietly.

Alexandra laughed, but there wasn't any amusement in the sound. Not really. "They could be," she agreed. "Of course. You're right."

Then she kissed her again, and Hana let herself get lost in the sensation.

She tried to pretend that she didn't hear the sound of the floorboards creaking with footsteps elsewhere in the room, somewhere in the dark. It was easier that way. It was probably just her imagination taking things further than it should.

Probably.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Twitter. (https://twitter.com/settiai)


End file.
